


Forgo

by retronxnt



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Confrontations, Gen, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 17:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21359608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retronxnt/pseuds/retronxnt
Summary: Caustic (Alexander Maxwell Nox) discovers Crypto's (Tae Joon Park) identity, leading to an abrupt confrontation.Short fic to get back into the swing of writing.Reliant on the Mystik being Caustic's mom/Caustic and Crypto knew each other before Apex theory.
Kudos: 22





	Forgo

Crypto stared at the thin blue screen in the dark and swiped through page after page. He stood at a low desk in a small library-type room. It was roughly the middle of the night and most of the legends got the notion to go to sleep. Nobody was any good at the games with sleep deprivation, but it wasn't unnatural for him to have many sleepless nights. This night, he didn't intend to stay awake all through it, but he did intend on finding what he was looking for.  
He didn't anticipate on this particular book being so wordy. All he wanted was a simple reference to something earlier, and it felt like it was impossible to find. Page after page, he skimmed each one quickly before tirelessly swiping to the next. It was beginning to get tedious.  
  
He heard foot steps echo down the hall, shaking him a bit. In this instance, he wasn't really doing anything shady, but it was still likely to alert others that he was still up and about. Ignoring it and hoping it was just someone going to the restroom, he paused when he felt a strange aura in the room. The air felt denser. The light from the hallway was blocked. He turned his eyes slowly, to meet with glowing green ones.  
  
It was Caustic. Just standing there. Crypto didn't know how to feel, but he was very tense and a little bit afraid. He shifted his eyes back down hoping maybe it was just a hallucination and maybe he'd just go away--  
  
"Tae Joon Park."  
  
He froze immediately. The voice barrel rolled through his brain like a clanging bell. His own name never sounded so threatening.  
  
"Maybe I'm wrong, upon this singular instance, but I believe I'm quite correct in assuming that your name is Tae Joon Park." Each time he pronounced it it felt like he was hissing out a foreign sound. "You can try to ditch your sight and your hearing, and all your other senses while you're at it, but thus far you haven't successfully managed to remove your infamy."  
  
He slapped a paper down on the desk under Crypto's hand. Suddenly the larger man was right beside him. He could hear the filtered breathing eerily louder. Shifting his gaze to the paper, it was a copy of his now infamous "wanted poster." It made him cringe to see the yellow tinted glasses, clean and combed hair, white collar dress shirt... everything about Tae Joon made him want to choke.  
  
"I understand wanting to hide your identity from the predators but it won't be hidden for long. Even if all the other legends seem to not have the competence to look for anything further than your haircut, you can't fool everyone. And while your identity is one thing to hide, an accusation for murder seems entirely different,  
  
Did you murder this... Mila Alexander?"  
  
Crypto felt a bead of sweat slide down his neck. He never knew how to feel about his framing for murder in the Apex games. Would some find it entertaining? They seemed wary that he hadn't committed any crimes yet, would they feel more comfortable if he was a murderer? Or would they find him as daunting as Caustic?  
Admitting to murder felt entirely wrong, simply since it wasn't true. Anyone could watch or record him admitting the falsity anyway. He thought everyday about Mila and was desperately trying to find out who really killed her. Or if she was even killed at all. Pleading guilty wouldn't do him any favors.  
  
Now, what did Caustic want? Did he want a murderous "friend"? His tone was always commandeering and malicious, but now he seemed almost angry.  
Of all the people to figure out his identity, Crypto didn't exactly imagine it to be Caustic. Surely he was one of the more intelligent legends, but he wasn't exactly tech-savvy. How did he even find this poster? But surely he was convinced that he was Tae Joon Park, there wasn't a point in denying it, but he was reasonably terrified. Would admitting he was framed make him weak? Would pretending to have killed her make him a menace?  
  
"... No."  
  
There wasn't a point in lying. Maybe telling the truth was the only way to get out of this. Caustic didn't seem the type to talk to anyone else so it wasn't likely he'd go around sharing secrets. But if he did... well, there's always plan C.  
  
Caustic took a step back, seemingly relieved. He audibly paused, suddenly letting down the harsh demeanor. He looked around, stopping at the window, then turned to walk away. Stopping again, he cleared his throat.  
  
"Forgive my intrusion. It's difficult to tell who you can trust, as I'm sure you're well accustomed to. But... if you need help in clearing past mistakes, I'd be better at it than you may presume. Good night."  
  
And like that, he was gone again. Crypto crumpled downward and breathed. A shudder released itself down his spine. He swiftly saved the book to his personal drive and shut down the monitor. He shuffled the drive into his pocket and ran the opposite way down the hall.

  
  
–—Epilogue—–

  
  
Tae Joon? What in the world was he doing in the Apex games?  
  
Finally assured he was alone and unlikely to be bothered by insomniacs at this time, Alexander carefully removed his mask and set it down on his bedside, only to spatter into coughs at the difference in air. Calming down, he sat on the bed and looked out the window. The sky was a pleasantly clear, dark blue and the millions of stars shone brightly in an unimaginable cluster. While he took joy in the atmosphere of the World's Edge, he wasn't internally at ease.  
  
Although he generally abstained from looking too far in to the lives of those he left in the past, the presence of Tae Joon so near to him was unshakable. They didn't necessarily know each other as friends, but family..? Tae Joon was always an advocate for family, and he prayed that he would never forget that. Weakness is as it is, but sometimes innocent traits are better left unforgotten.   
When he first heard of Tae Joon's accusations he was reasonably angry. Not letting it show any more than his usual vindication, but it upset him. He didn't want to believe he would murder his own sister, but he didn't have any proof that he didn't. How could he do that to Mila? Oh, Mila...  
  
Alexander was never overly close to anyone at the orphanage, knowing he wouldn't see eye to eye with any of them and knowing their connections would prove futile to him. But he always felt connected to Tae Joon and Mila, he couldn't help it. Katerina treated them both as closely as she did him, not to his discredit. He took opportunities to treat them with respect and decency, when he could, but naturally he never saw them much anyway. Yet, his heart ached when he heard that Mila was gone.  
He wasn't looking for any news about Mila per sé, he really just stumbled upon it. And it made him very angry.  
  
But he knew Tae Joon wouldn't kill her. And he just said he didn't kill her. He is scared. It's the least respect and decency you can give him to forgive him, forgive him over nothing. He didn't kill Mila. But Mila is still dead.  
  
The longer he thought about these things the more his heart wanted to churn out some kind of actual emotion about it. Mila wasn't the only child Katerina lost, she lost himself too. And maybe she doesn't even know Tae Joon is out here, pretending to be someone else. He couldn't judge him for faking a new name, but he could judge him for doing it knowingly after everything she's been through.  
  
No, you don't have a right to be angry at him. He is scared. He is still innocent. Maybe he did everything right, and if he were in your shoes, he'd have every right to be absolutely pissed at you.  
  
Shaking himself from his own thoughts, he shut off the dim bedside light and stared at the stars in darkness, wondering if he could see Gaea from here. Family. He couldn't forget it.


End file.
